Not-so-happy anniversary to the Liberals’ unfair child care system

It has been one year since the Liberals’ unfair child care system was introduced, and what a year it has been.

Some of the highlights include:

• Software glitches leaving providers and families in the dark;
• Two out of three providers saying the transition had been poorly managed;
• Educators going without pay because of problems with the system;
• An exodus of providers from In Home Care;
• The department admitting they have no idea about the IT system reliability or how many families have dropped out of care;
• Child care providers being forced to act as debt collectors for Centrelink;
• The number of vulnerable and at-risk children accessing care dropping more than 20 per cent;
• Child care fees are going up under the new system, and fees have increased 28 per cent under the Liberal Government.

The Liberals’ child care system has proved to be confusing and buried families and providers in red tape.

One in four families are worse off under this unfair system and providers have been left thousands of dollars out of pocket.

Many families could also be in for a rude shock as they work through their taxes for the 2018-19 financial year, as Centrelink and the ATO will be data matching families tax arrangements which could result in significant debts for families.

It’s a first birthday to forget for the government’s unfair child care system.